A few more

Mom emailed me a some pictures that I didn't have on my camera and I just had to share these too!

big boy

beautiful girl

opening a present (Nemo books and a doggy backpack) from Grandma and Grandpa. Corban was almost as excited about the Nemo bag as he was about what was inside!!

having fun and loving all the attention!

Tuckered out

We flew back home late Friday/early Saturday morning. Corban and Abigail did really well on the plane again and we all had a great time in Arkansas!

I'm so thankful...

What a great Turkey Day! We ate lots of yummy food, opened gifts, and got to spend the day all together.














sunrise over the lake Thanksgiving morning...I wasn't up to see it, but Chris was enjoying time talking with Grandpa and took some pictures so I could see it later when I woke up!

Corban fun with Uncle Randy

Randy and Nemo

bear hug!

Aunt Amanda and Uncle Tyler

Wednesday afternoon Tyler and Amanda arrived and everyone was together!





lots of cuddling

of course, Corban kept everyone entertained!

Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa

Grandma, Grandpa, and Randy arrived Tuesday. It was great getting to introduce them to their Great-Granddaughter and they loved getting to hold and rock Abigail!"official baby rocker"

All lit up

Monday night we visited to Garvan Gardens and had fun walking through the gardens with lights everywhere!

Corban dancing with the Gingerbread people

my two guys!

Relaxing in Hot Springs

Monday, Chris and I enjoyed some time in Hot Springs while the kiddos stayed with Grandma and Grandpa!

And Tuesday afternoon we went back for a little spa time at one of the hotels that still uses the hot water from the springs and had a great time relaxing in mineral baths and then having a massage! Felt so great!

Grandma and Grandpa (PaPa)

dancing

playing

keeping warm




feeding the fish

Leaving on a jet plane

Sunday we flew to Arkansas to spend a week at my parents house. It was Abigail's first plane ride and she (and Corban) did super!

Hide 'n Seek

I couldn't find Corban...until I went to his room, heard giggling and "find me Mama" coming from under the bed!

Masterpiece in the making

It's a jungle out there

a band of gorillas at Universal CityWalk

Storytelling Time

Staci and I took the kiddos to Leu Garden's storytelling time on Monday morning. Abigail and Sophie slept through most it, but Corban and Brock sure had fun! Then we went for a walk (with the gardens wide sidewalks we could actually push our two double strollers side by side and talk!) and enjoyed some of this fabulous colder weather we've had all week. Today's high was only 58!!Corban being a piggy during the farm story!

Grins and Giggles

Two Months Old!

Abigail is (already!!) two months old!
She weighs 9 lbs. 10 oz. and is 21.5 in. long.
Abigail has a beautiful smile and is now able to focus on a face, make eye contact and then break into the biggest, toothless grin! It's wonderful!

She loves to be held, sleeps well, likes to sit up (propped against something), is very alert, and generally a very content baby. She refuses a bottle (quite adamantly!) and after trying a few different kinds we've decided its not such a big deal, just means she and I can't be apart for more than 4 hours!Abigail and Sophie-- its good to have a friend to lean on!

Celebrate

Sunday afternoon we had a baby shower for Jenn at our house which was so much fun! I don't have any aunts or first cousins, so I am thrilled about being "Aunt Abigail" very soon and for Corban and Abigail to have a cousin! We can't wait to meet little Michael Aaron.

Endeavour

Space shuttle Endeavour took off last night at 7:55 p.m. (the last night launch of 2008) and we had a great view from in front of our house. Corban was already asleep but Abigail saw her first space launch!

There was a full moon which made it so pretty and also provides a nice marker for the movement of the shuttle.

Rhinotillexis

Corban has been able to identify body parts for quite some time now, but has only recently discovered that noses can be picked.
As good parents, Chris and I are discouraging this habit and we help him to blow his nose on tissue instead. The funny thing is that Corban decided yesterday that he would just go to his room, close the door and pick his nose in privacy. He doesn't know that we understand what he's doing when we tell him not to pick his nose and he says "I go to my room" and runs off!

Silence is golden

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and no voice. Not being able to talk makes it tough to do things with an active little guy, even though it is pretty cute that Corban has been whispering back to me all day! So, for the last approx. 100 minutes (plus a few bonus features) I have been lying on the couch with Abigail on my chest and Corban sitting beside me watching Finding Nemo. My throat still feels raw but I'm happy and think I'll go have another cup of tea with honey now!

BIG special treat

Corban's potty training is continuing and he is doing really well with it. We are trying to make the switch to only underwear during the day (instead of pull-ups) and he went 2 days without any accidents! Woowhoo!! (the excitement of parenting a toddler!)
So as a reward we went to the "ice cream store" last night to celebrate!

so many to choose from...

sweet reward!!

Caleb the Loyal...part 2

Yesterday we took Caleb over to the Reynolds home to live there permanently. The last couple months have been really good for us in appreciating our time with Caleb and how special he is to our family. But also coming to a place where we could release him to this new home where we felt that it was truly the best decision for him and for our family. It was still hard and we are definitely going to miss our huge black dog, but we are excited for this opportunity for him. We left him playing in their back yard with Xena and Makeda (2 other great danes!).

Bilingual

As I said, Corban's copying everything...he just ran in to tell me "Mama, no comprendo!" Thanks to Larry the Cucumber (from Veggie Tales) our son is now bilingual. Of course that means "I don't understand" so we might have to work on a few more phrases!

Repeat Repeat

Corban's vocabulary continues to grow every day and its funny to hear all the things he copies (us, song lyrics, anything really!).




As Corban has transitioned from calling Abigail just "baby" to "baby Abadale," he has also begun calling his glowworm toy "my baby Abadale"! He likes to mimic what I am doing with Abigail to take care of his "baby." What a good big brother!!

Time Change

I am not really sure why we do Daylight Saving Time and set our clocks forward every spring and back again every fall...but I do know that it is great news for bedtime with a toddler!
Corban doesn't tell time yet (you could ask him at any hour of the day and he'll probably answer "11:30", we don't know why but that's his consistent answer!), but he does know light and dark and it is hard to argue that its bedtime when it is already totally dark out! So, it is now 8:15 and Corban has been asleep for over half and hour already. I think I'm going to like this! Of course that will mean that our house will get going even earlier in the morning!

Girl talk

Corban's request

How could I say no when Corban asked me to take a picture of Dory?!?!













Of course now he's asking for one of Nemo too....

Ms. Kathy

It was a short visit, but my sweet friend was in Orlando and we got to spend some time together and introduce her to little Abigail!